Grand Jury targets El Rodeo restaurants

Marion County police seized cash register, cash, 'business documents'

Nov. 19, 2013

Law enforcement vehicles sit outside El Rodeo on Beck Lane in Lafayette on Monday. Search warrants were executed at the El Rodeo Mexican Restaurants in Lafayette, West Lafayette and in other counties. Marion County Prosecutor's Office said the restaurants were being searched in connection to larger investigation. / Photos by Justin L. Mack/Journal & Courier

A closed sign posted on the front door of El Rodeo in West Lafayette.

A Marion County grand jury is investigating El Rodeo restaurants, according to a Marion County sheriff's report.

A search warrant was served at El Rodeo, 2606 N. High School Road, on Monday and police seized a cash register, cash and "business and other documents," according to the report.

The warrant was served by the state police, the sheriff, the Indiana Excise Police and Indianapolis police.

"All the items seized were released to Marion County grand jury investigators," according to the report.

Police also photographed nine employees at the scene. They were between the ages of 19 and 41.

From Journal & Courier:

Tippecanoe County’s three El Rodeo locations were among several of the company’s eateries targeted Monday during a statewide police raid.

Search warrants were executed at the El Rodeo Mexican Restaurants at 140 Frontage Road and 109 Beck Lane in Lafayette, and 140 Howard Ave. in West Lafayette. Raids also were conducted in Marion and Wayne counties.

Peg McLeish, communications director at the Marion County Prosecutor's Office said the restaurants were being searched in connection to an investigation led by officials in Tippecanoe and Marion counties.

She did not say how many counties were involved or how many restaurants were being searched, but she confirmed that multiple counties were involved.

McLeish declined to comment on what possible criminal activity police were looking into.

The warrants are part of an ongoing investigation, and criminal charges have yet to be filed.

McLeish said details about the case will not be released by the prosecutor’s offices until charges are filed in court. She added that as of Monday, there was no estimated time frame of when that would occur.

At all the Tippecanoe County restaurants, police cars were parked in front of the businesses and customers were being turned away at midday. A hand-written note stating that the business was closed was placed on the locked front door of the West Lafayette location.

Officers at the sites would not comment on the search.

Indiana State Police, Lafayette police and West Lafayette police cars were at the restaurants, along with several unmarked police vehicles.

Indiana State Sgt. Kim Riley said he could not comment on the case and referred all questions to McLeish.

The Journal & Courier placed calls to the Tippecanoe County Prosecutor’s Office, the West Lafayette Police Department and the Lafayette Police Department for more information. As of 4:30 p.m., none of those calls had been returned.

The first El Rodeo in Greater Lafayette opened at 140 Frontage Road on the east side of Lafayette in 1999. The second location, at 140 Howard Ave. in West Lafayette, opened two years later.